AMES, Iowa -- An Iowa State University researcher has been awarded a
$330,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study eyewitness
identification.

Gary Wells, professor of psychology and distinguished professor of Liberal
Arts and Sciences, has been conducting experiments on eyewitness
identification for more than 25 years.

The new research study will focus on facial composites. Facial composites
are drawings of suspects, either by sketch artists or computer programs,
relying on eyewitness descriptions of criminal perpetrators. Wells will
study how computer composites might negatively affect eyewitness memories
and bias later attempts by eyewitnesses to identify the right person from a
lineup. Wells will look for ways to eliminate any negative effects of
composites on eyewitness memories.

His past research has focused on finding ways to increase the reliability of
police lineups that are used to identify criminal suspects. DNA exoneration
cases, which have freed more than 100 innocent people from prison in recent
years, show that mistaken eyewitness identification is the primary cause of
wrongful convictions.

Wells' research has led to the development of ways to cut the chances of
mistaken identification in half and his ideas for lineups have been adopted
by several law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada.